[2][3] They are among the most high-profile athletes in North America and have been described as akin to A-list celebrities;[4] in the United Football League, such quarterbacks benefit from national television exposure and in-game action that they may not get as backup or practice squad quarterbacks in the National Football League; former New York Guardians starter Matt McGloin, former Dallas Renegades starting quarterback Landry Jones and current St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron all cited the ability to have their friends and family see them play professional football as reasons why they chose to play in the league.
Starting quarterbacks in the XFL received a substantially higher salary than backups and other position players.
In the 2020 season, the salary for an XFL starting quarterback was $495,000 plus a $2,222 bonus for every game won as a member of the team;[8] the "average quarterback" on a 2020 XFL roster was reputed to make $125,000, compared to $55,000 for other position players, with both figures including bonuses.
[10] For 2023, the highest paid XFL starting quarterback, Brett Hundley, earned $200,000 in base salary,[11] while Jordan Ta'amu and McCarron both made over $100,000, in addition to win bonuses.
[12] The XFL structure stood in contrast to the USFL, which purposely chose an egalitarian structure paying all players equally regardless of position;[13] as a result, McCarron and Ta'amu were initially hesitant to stay with their teams as they transitioned to the UFL, which operates under the USFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA).